ELMONT, N.Y. - Funny Cide is probably the most talked about 2-year-old who is not running in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

After Funny Cide earned a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in the seven-furlong Bertram F. Bongard, some trainers would have marked the Breeders' Cup on their calendar.

Not Funny Cide's trainer, Barclay Tagg, who opted instead for Saturday's $100,000 Sleepy Hollow at Belmont Park against statebreds.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Contention runs deep in Saturday's $150,000 Mohawk Handicap with statebred stakes winners Celtic Sky and I'm All Yours pitted against graded stakes winners Finality and Whitmore's Conn.

The Mohawk, run at nine furlongs on turf, drew an overflow of 14 entrants - including one for the main track only.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Gander, who has had his share of bad luck this year, is the one to beat in Saturday's $250,000 Empire Classic at Belmont Park.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Although Sunday's Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes figures to be deep and competitive, the Grade 3 race at Keeneland would be shaping up even better if not for a little bug.

Roxelana, the standout mare who last month was impressive in winning a Turfway Park allowance race off a lengthy layoff, will miss the TCA Stakes after having been sidelined with what trainer Blackie Huffman believes was a virus.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Last year, the finish of the Valley View Stakes was so tight that the photo-finish camera was unable to separate Cozzy Corner and Chausson Poire.

Of course, the chances for another dead-heat for win occurring Saturday in the $100,000 Valley View are remote, but the circumstances hardly could be more favorable. An extremely well-matched group of 3-year-old fillies was entered in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, and at least half the field appears capable of being part of the picture.

Little more than a month ago, Seattle Tac faded to third in a one-mile race at Delaware Park, finishing nine lengths behind winner Galloping Dancer and three lengths behind runner-up Heirloom Diamond.

Seattle Tac has to face both Galloping Dancer and Heirloom Diamond in another one-mile race Saturday, the $100,000 Blue Hen Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. So who says there's any good reason to believe Seattle Tac can turn the tables?

Beautiful America, who contests the $100,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes on New York Showcase Day, has given a boost to Chester and Mary Broman's racing stable in the short term. But Chester Broman is thinking well beyond the Maid of the Mist with the 2-year-old Dixie Brass filly.

On Saturday, Belmont Park will card 10 races restricted to New York-bred runners, the type of races that are often ignored by bettors for being low-quality events designed to reward the best of a bad bunch with subsidized purses.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Thebigapple has the perfect name to win Saturday's $250,000 Empire Classic, one of seven New York-bred stakes on New York Showcase Day at Belmont Park. More importantly, the 3-year-old has the looks of a horse with stakes potential.

Thebigapple will make his stakes debut in the 1 1/8-mile Empire Classic after winning 3 of 7 lifetime starts for the white-hot Bruce Levine. Through Monday, Levine had saddled 11 winners from 36 starters at the meet and was third in the trainer standings.

Thebigapple accounted for two of Levine's wins at the Belmont fall meet.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association released its stakes schedule for Aqueduct's 2003 winter and spring meets.

The schedule includes 34 stakes worth $4,325,000 and covers racing from Jan. 1 through May 4, the final day of Aqueduct's spring meet.